On The Road For Some Change, Cause The Game Was Too Hard

Final Score:  UM: 73  UK: 67

STAY TUNED FOR MORE THOUGHTS AND COVERAGE!

0:23/2nd Half:  UM: 72  UK: 66

Jack adds two free throws, thank God.

0:24/2nd Half:  UM: 70  UK: 66

Can someone hit free throws, please?  Hurdle goes 1 of 2 from the line, Patterson answers with a quick baseline jumper, and the Wildcats are only down four.  The Canes have missed 11 free throws today.

0:34/2nd Half:  UM: 69  UK: 64

Wow, Liggins hits an acrobatic three-pointer to say the least, and all of a sudden it's a four point game.  Check that, referees review it, and it's a two-pointer.

0:51/2nd Half:  UM: 67  UK: 60

This is turning into one of those brutal games where the whistle sounds 250 times in the last two minutes.  Luckily, Asbury hits both of his free throws to make it a seven point game.

0:57/2nd Half:  UM: 65  UK: 60

Dews misses both of his free throw attempts.  This is not a joke.

1:17/2nd Half: UM: 65  UK: 60

Lance Hurdle misses both of his free throw attempts.  This is just dandy.

1:21/2nd Half:  UM: 65  UK: 60

Great inbounds play under pressure after two free throws by Patterson, and Dews is at the line.  Obviously he misses.  Darius Miller hits both free throws right after to cut the lead to five.   

1:35/2nd Half:  UM: 65  UK: 56

Meeks misses his ninth three-point attempt of the game, but Asbury misses the front end of a one and one.  

1:47/2nd Half: UM: 65  UK: 56

Huge turnover for Kentucky, Asbury grabs the loose ball and eventually hits a baseline three-pointer.  Hurricane Nation, breathe a collective sigh of relief.

3:00/2nd Half:  UM: 62  UK: 56

This has the possibility of ending in disaster.  McClinton turns the ball over again and Kentucky's got possession with less than three to go, only down by six.  

3:25/2nd Half:  UM: 60  UK: 52

Patterson will be shooting free throws after the television timeout on a foul by Dwayne Collins.  It's scary how the Canes have fallen apart this half, scoring only 14 points so far with three minutes and change to go.  Hopefully they hold on.

3:54/2nd Half:  UM: 60  UK: 52

Huge bucket for Asbury, who hits a long two after a Jack McClinton lay-up to increase the lead back to eight with less than four minutes to go.  UK turnover on the previous possession really looks to have hurt them, we'll see what happens the rest of the way.

5:34/2nd Half: UM: 56  UK: 52

Lackadaisical play by the Canes.  Two turnovers in a row for the Canes, and UK is only down four.  The Canes have only scored ten points this half.

5:57/2nd Half:  UM: 56  UK: 50

Wow.  This just got out of control fast.  The Canes cannot rebound right now and are on the verge of giving up what was once a 21-point lead because of it.  

7:27/2nd Half:  UM: 56  UK: 46

Dews hits a floater, Darius Miller hits 1 of 2 from the line for Kentucky, and the Canes are holding on to a ten-point lead.  That's eighteen for Dews, but who's counting?  On a side note: Shit! Looks like UF could be headed to another National Championship trophy.  

8:12/2nd Half:  UM: 54  UK: 45

James Dews gets bailed out on a foul call on Kentucky, but the Canes are reeling as Kentucky cuts the lead to under ten for the first time in awhile.  Looks like the Wildcats will be faceguarding McClinton for the rest of the half - this could get ugly, this timeout should help things somewhat.

9:01/2nd Half:  UM: 54  UK: 41

Great step back jumper for McClinton, who records his first points of the second half.  Cyrus commits a seemingly needless foul, but Kentucky only hits 1 of 2 from the line.

9:42/2nd Half:  UM: 52  UK: 40

Too easy for Kentucky on offense who get a quick bucket in the first five seconds on the baseline.  This is a rare sight: James Dews at the free throw line, who hits 'em both and has sixteen on the night.

10:11/2nd Half:  UM: 50  UK: 38

Dwayne Collins gives the Canes their first point in about seven minutes, going 1 for 2 from the line on another foul for Patterson.

10:53/2nd Half: UM: 49  UK: 38

Jimmy Graham records his 200th foul of the frame and gets taken out in favor of Cyrus here, who proceeds to get swatted with a monster block by Patterson.

11:51/2nd Half:  UM: 49  UK: 38

Television timeout comes at a crucial time for Miami.  DeQuan Jones has a couple brutal turnovers in a row, but I appreciate the fact that he's trying to create - because no one else is.  When McClinton isn't letting it rain, this Canes team really has no one to step up, and its becoming blatantly evident for the second game in a row.  Five or six minutes here with no points for Miami.

13:16/2nd Half:  UM: 49  UK: 38

The Canes are falling apart here, still up by 11 but turning the ball over and struggling on offense.  The coverage on Patterson out of the zone is ending up in easy buckets for the rest of the team, let's hope the shots start falling here for Miami.  10-0 run for UK.  

15:27/2nd Half:  UM:  49  UK: 34

McClinton misses a few wide open three looks before the timeout, including one baseline that clanked off the side of the backboard.  Ugly.  Canes are still in solid control but shots need to start dropping, because Patterson's starting to heat up.  

16:23/2nd Half:  UM: 49  UK: 32

Michael Porter just fouled out with 16 minutes left in the second half for Kentucky.  Wow.  Talk about flying under the radar with the foul count, sorry about that.  Patterson is coming alive with four points and some rebounds already in the half.

17:33/2nd Half: UM: 49  UK: 30

Jimmy Graham does an atrocious job of rebounding in the post on two consecutive possessions.

18:57/2nd Half:  UM: 47  UK: 26

Sloppy start to the second half for the Canes, who manage to screw up a 3 on 1 fast break and almost turn the ball over on a Lance pass to Dwayne.  Collins ends up at the line and hits 1 for 2.

Halftime Score/Thoughts: UM: 46  UK: 26

Wow.  James Dews adds two MORE three-pointers in the last two minutes to up the Canes lead to 20 at halftime.  More than anything else, Dews needed to have a game to get the heck out of his season long funk, and boy is he on so far tonight.  He's 3 for 4 from downtown and has 14 points in the first half.

McClinton's shooting the ball with a vengeance, and playing with some serious emotion.  His last three-pointer had the Wildcats call a timeout, and McClinton gave an emphatic chest thump after the basket.  It's good to see the team playing with something to prove.  Losing their ranking might end up benefiting this team in the long run if they can start playing with a chip on their shoulder.

On a different note, Julian Gamble has seen a lot minutes for Miami thus far - not sure whether thats a good or bad thing.  He doesn't have any points so far, but the frontcourt has been pretty quiet in general.  Jimmy Graham's got two, Dwayne's got two and Cyrus has a lone three-pointer.  Kentucky seems to be overly concerned with the post, leaving the shooters open.

McClinton and Dews have combined for 31 points, and the Wildcats only have 26 as a team.  The best half of basketball for the Canes (other than maybe the second half against San Diego) all season.

1:43/1st Half: UM: 40  UK: 26

Bad turnover for DeQuan who looked for Dwayne before the big fella tripped on a fast break.  Canes are up 14 and look to be in solid position before half.

3:22/1st Half: UM: 40  UK: 24

Wow.  What a sequence for the Canes.  Cyrus saves a rebound going out of bounds after a nice defensive play, Hurdle grabs the rebound and jets up court, dishes to Jack who hits a three on the fly.  That's 17 points for Jack already.

3:44/1st Half: UM: 35  UK: 24

Canes are doing well defensively, and McClinton's back at the line after the television timeout.  The game is going well overall, but the postgame has been exceptionally quiet - Dwayne, Cyrus and Jimmy have a combined 7 points.  

5:50/1st Half:  UM: 33  UK: 22

James Dews must be reading the blog - he hits another jumper which puts him at eight points so far.  Hurdle adds a pull-up jumper near the free throw line and the Canes are maintaining a double digit lead.  The 2-3 zone is working phenomenally well for the Canes thus far.

7:43/1st Half: UM: 29  UK: 20

Meeks is shooting 2 for 7 from behind the three-point line and is leading the Wildcats with eight at the timeout.  McClinton has 12 for the Canes, Dews has six, and five other players have recorded at least two points for the Canes. 

8:45/1st Half:  UM: 27  UK: 18

Some bad shot selection here by the Canes, with a bad three-point attempt for Jack and a bad pull-up by Lance on back-to-back possessions.

11:21/1st Half:  UM: 25  UK: 13

Cyrus hits a big three, Kentucky commits its sixth turnover and the Canes are in control here in the first half.  Patterson hasn't recorded a point yet for UK.

12:04/1st Half: UM: 22  UK: 11

Freshman DeAndre Liggins drives wild to the basket and gets a generous foul call, but the Canes are doing well on both ends of the court.  DeQuan's gotta get that jumper down.

13:16/1st Half:  UM: 20  UK: 9

Two huge blocks in a row for Gamble and Jimmy, Lance adds a pull-up jumper and the Canes are up 11 early.

14:44/1st Half: UM: 16  UK: 7

Nice defensive possession for the Canes resulting in a shotclock violation for UK, before which  DeQuan added a lay-up of his own.

16:26/1st Half: UM: 14  UK: 7

That turnover stuff wasn't a joke, Kentucky's really bad at handling the ball.  They've got three turnovers already, and McClinton's got eight of the team's first 14. 

16:48/1st Half:  UM: 10  UK: 5

There's the first stupid 'football school' comment from the amazing commentators at ESPN.  Maybe McClinton heard it and cringed, he hits 1 of 2 from the line.

17:28/1st Half:  UM: 9  UK: 5

Is this for real?  Dews hits another three-pointer and hopefully shuts me the hell up for the rest of the season.

18:40/1st Half: UM: 6  UK: 3

Wow, Dews and McClinton hit back to back three pointers but Meeks answers with one of his own to cut the lead from six to three.

5:35 PM: James Dews is still in the starting five, along with Jack, Lance, Dwayne and Cyrus.  Nothing too surprising, but apparently Coach Haith has not lost faith in his junior guard.

5:28 PM: Duck Fuke, Michigan wins 81-73.  Duke shoots 7 for 33 from three-point range but makes about three of those in the last two minutes.  That's wins over UCLA and Duke already for Michigan.  Miami's up next, more pre-game updates as they come.

5:22 PM:  It's almost gametime in Kentucky, and the ESPN game before is a good one to watch.  Forty seconds left and Michigan's up four at home against #4 Dook, 75-71.  I guess that's what happens when you shoot 5 for 1,000 from three-point range.  The cameras have had a couple clips of McClinton warming up, he looks about ready for revenge.  Then again, he always does. 

Told Me Only Few Can Make It And The Faithless Ain't Allowed

Tuesday did not get the week started on the right foot for the men's basketball team at the University of Miami. After a thrilling start, the ESPN primetime game against Ohio State went down the shitter right after halftime.  Thanks to the senior star's antics, the Canes lost their offensive playmaker and eventually the game.  Today's match-up against Kentucky looms large for many reasons.

The Hurricanes need to rebound from this loss quicker than usual with another ESPN game today at Rupp Arena at 5:30 PM.  While Kentucky has not kept up their reputation as a Top-25 team in recent memory, they have reeled off five straight wins after a disappointing start to the season with two losses to Virginia Military Academy (!) and #1 North Carolina.  After beating a few lowly teams (like Delaware State, who probably has the hardest out of conference schedule I have ever seen for a team with a name like the 'Hornets'), the Wildcats won at home against Kansas State and West Virginia.

So while Kentucky is not back in the top echelon just yet, they still pose a challenge for the Hurricanes beyond just the on court match-ups.  The Hurricanes need to show their fans that Tuesday was an aberration, and that players on the team not named "Jack McClinton" actually do have the talent to compete in the A.C.C.  The Hurricanes need to make it clear today that they are capable of playing in places like Rupp Arena while holding their composure under pressure.  The Hurricanes need to prove their pre-season ranking was not a fraud.

The Wildcats are lead by 6-4 junior guard Jodie Meeks, who is averaging 24.6 points, a big step-up from last year's output of 8.8 ppg.  6-8 sophomore forward Patrick Patterson is also building on his fantastic freshman campaign for UK, posting totals of 17.1 points and 8.1 rebounds.  Rounding out the starting line-up are junior forwards Ramon Harris (8.7 points) and Perry Stevenson (6.0 points) junior guard Michael Porter (3.0 points).  

UK's squad has a very similar size make-up to their roster as that of Frank Haith, so all facets of the game will need to be on tonight.  Their guards are a little taller than the Canes starting 1, 2 and 3, but other than Jodie Meeks, the starters are not must-mark guys like Diebler and Turner were for the Buckeyes.  

Eddie Rios has been re-instated after his shenanigans, and Jack McClinton is going to play.  Let's see where that leaves the Canes come 7:30 PM or so tonight - hopefully a little better off than last time after that ESPN match-up.

Where Is The Moment We Needed The Most?

Deflating.  Disgusting.  Depressing.  Devastating.  Disappointing.  Should I keep going?

Frank Haith's boys started the game like they had something to prove.  After Jack McClinton's third three-pointer in the first ten minutes, the Canes were up 16-4 with 11:46 to go in the first frame.  Team defense was on point, and so wasn't team's shooting.

The arena was erupting.  Fans were jumping up and down.  A pregnant woman in the crowd agreed with her husband: their son would be named McClinton.  The Canes had turned the corner.  The Canes were for real.

Well, that was about the game's zenith  for Hurricane fans.  Even after Miami headed into the locker room up 14 at half,  a strange sense of uneasiness pervaded the BankUnited Center on Tuesday night.  

McClinton had been ejected after his fourth consecutive three-pointer for ripping some Buckeye player's eyeball out of his socket on a retaliation swipe.  I figure that's what must have happened to earn his early ejection last night.  Word gets out that sophomore Eddie Rios is suspended indefinitely; not an ideal scenario for a team who was left with one option at point guard (Lance Hurdle) for the rest of the game.

No one was stepping up to take over in Jack's absence.  Yeah, the Canes were up 14, but they were going to lose this game if they kept letting Ohio State get open three-point looks and uncontested shots from the perimeter.  As fans headed back to their seats with napkins in their hands (to prepare for the sweat in the game's closing moments, not to wipe mustard off their pants), everyone was uncomfortable.  Were the Hurricanes really going to lose this game?  

Lose it they did.  In spectacular fashion.  

Ohio State started the second half on a 15-2 run and closed the Canes halftime lead from 14 (36-22) to 1 (38-37) in less than five minutes.  If anyone was taking an especially long time in the bathroom because they pre-gamed too hard, they should consider themselves lucky.  The first five minutes of the second half (along with the rest of it, for that matter) was vomit-inducing, to say the least.  

18 turnovers.  51 points allowed in the second half.  26.1% from three-point range for the game (6 for 23), 11% (2 for 19) without Jack's four.  So even after out-rebounding the Buckeyes by 14 (44 to 30), the Hurricanes decided to keep shooting.

I'm not sure whose fault that is.  Why the Canes weren't looking for Dwayne Collins, Jimmy Graham and Cyrus McGowan everytime down the court is beyond me.  The Buckeyes big men did not look up to the challenge of stopping the Canes trio on every possession.  Is it Frank Haith's fault for the lack of looks to the post?  Potentially.

Either way, Lance Hurdle forced up too many shots, and finished 5 for 14 but only 2 for 10 from three-point range (with one the luckiest three-pointer made in recent memory).  James Dews missed all five of his three-point attempts and finished with four points on 2 for 12 shooting.  McGowan shot 2 for 8 from the field and didn't hit either of his three-point attempts.  Brian Asbury shot 3 for 9 and missed both of his three-pointers as well.  

It's time to shake things up.  Dews needs to ride the pine for awhile until he can re-locate his game, which has been missing all year.  DeQuan Jones was hustling out there but was in foul trouble all night.  A line-up shuffle is in need after last night's lackluster performance.  When no player steps up in one of the biggest games before A.C.C. play, it's time to switch things around.  The Hurricanes' performance last night was simply not acceptable.

The Canes have a deep team.  The bench is talented.  More great players are committing to Miami.  Frank Haith is an improving coach.  

But something became painfully obvious last night after all of this progress:  The Hurricanes still cannot win against good competition without Jack McClinton.  It's sad, and it doesn't bode particularly well for the future, but after last night's game, it's the way things are in Coral Gables.

Nothing's Ever Promised Tomorrow Today

Here we go!  Almost three hours til tip-off and I'm finally headed over to the BankUnited.  Was thinking about potential signs for the game playing to the ESPN theme, any ideas?.   A little unrelated (Canes athletics are all important in the end though, right?), but what about something like this:

Earth to

Shannon: Fire

Patrick 

Nix!

Wonder if that would have had anyone's section on primetime television screens across the country.  I expect the Canes to take this one in the end, but this looks like it could, on paper, play out to be one hell of a game.  

Mad Question Askin', Blunt Passin', Music Blastin'

The #21/#22 Miami Hurricanes are now 4-1.  Like most had figured, the Canes went 2-0 against Florida Southern and Stetson and earned the bronze in the Paradise Jam tournament (beating Southern Miss and San Diego, losing to #2 UConn).  And, just as expected, the Top-25 Canes are heading into the most important week in recent history with something to prove.

Both match-ups this week loom large for Miami. First comes a Tuesday home contest against Ohio State in an A.C.C./Big Ten Challenge game (the Canes didn't play in the series last season).  Miami then travels to Kentucky to face the Wildcats on Friday night. Both opponents made it to the postseason last year; the Buckeyes won their second N.I.T. championship in program history and the Wildcats lost an opening round March Madness match-up with #6-seed Marquette.  

Although neither program is currently ranked, each game poses a huge challenge for a Miami program still trying to prove its for real.  Wins against Ohio State on Tuesday (7:00 PM, ESPN) and Kentucky on Saturday (5:30 PM, ESPN) would go a long way to help shut the naysayers up, at least for awhile.  

Let's start with Ohio State, shall we?

Yeah...there's not a whole hell of a lot to say about the undefeated Buckeyes just yet.  OSU has only played three games so far, and their competition hasn't been too difficult. Wins over Delaware State (70-42), Bowling Green (61-57), and Samford (59-22) haven't proved much for this team. Draw whatever conclusions you want from those results, but the truth is this: OSU is still a very large unknown.

Head Coach Thad Matta has worked wonders with the basketball program since taking over in Columbus five years ago.  After recruiting Greg Oden and Mike Conley in 2006, Matta led the Buckeyes to the 2007 National Championship game after winning the Big Ten tournament and earning a #1 seed for March Madness.  Last season resulted in the N.I.T. championship trophy for his Buckeyes, but this year's team...well, the potential for success remains somewhat in question.

Gone are the impressive play and three-point shooting of seven-footer Kosta Koufos (14.4 ppg), taken with the 23rd overall pick by the Utah Jazz in the 2008 NBA Draft.  The other two leading scorers from last year's team, seniors Jamar Butler (15.0 ppg) and Othello Hunter (9.9 ppg, 6.5 rpg), are long gone. 

So where does that leave the Buckeyes? Well, defending N.I.T. champions at the very least.

Matta brought in a Top-5 recruiting class to help counter his losses, but none of the Buckeye freshman have had a serious impact in the early going.  2008's #1 overall player and 7-foot center B.J. Mullens hasn't earned a starting spot yet, and he's averaging 5.7 points and 2.3 rebounds (!)  in only 16.3 minutes.  Fellow five-star freshman (#19 overall) William Buford is also coming off the bench for Matta, averaging an uneventful 8.0 ppg.

Sophomores have carried Ohio State in the early going.  Swingman Evan Turner (6-7) is averaging 12 points and over 7 rebounds in his first three games, and Jon Diebler (6-6) is not too far behind (10.3 ppg).  Both played bench roles for the Buckeyes last year but have earned spots in the starting five for '08/'09.  Fellow sophomore Dallas Lauderdale, who averaged less than a point per game in his first season with OSU, has stepped up big for the Buckeyes and is averaging 8.3 points and 5.3 rebounds in his own starting role.

Rounding out the starting five for the Buckeyes are juniors Jeremie Simmons and David Lighty.  Simmons, a 6-2 guard averaging eight points (43.8% three-point shooter), is in his first of two years of eligibility after transferring from D-II Mott College.  David Lighty is the only player left from Matta's outrageous '06/'07 signing class, which included Oden (Portland Trail Blazers), Conley (Memphis Grizzlies) and shooting guard Daequan Cook (Miami Heat).   

Matta has run a rotation of about eight guys, each of whom see over 15 minutes per game.  Miami is going to have to receive continued production from its equally deep line-up.  Crucial will be the play of Hurricane star Jack McClinton.  The senior is averaging his lowest points-per-game totals in three years at Miami (15.8) and has gotten off to very slow starts in the past two games, registering two points in the first half against San Diego and zero in the first half against Stetson.  

If anyone on the Hurricanes can take over a game, it's Jack. He might have to do just that if the Canes can't keep up the strong output across the board (nine different scorers in each of the past two games).  The Buckeyes are not particularly big, but Diebler and Turner are both starting guards listed at over 6-6. The Canes won't have to deal with an outrageous size disadvantage, but if Haith maintains his starting line-up, Dews (6-3) and McClinton (6-1) will be covering players taller than themselves (five inches taller in McClinton's case).  

Toss in the fact that the 7-footer Mullens is coming off his best performance of the season so far, and it means this: the Canes will have to fight a lot harder to win the battle of the boards than they did against either Stetson or San Diego (but probably not UConn...thanks, Hasheem.)  Dwayne Collins will probably be guarding Lauderdale (a player equal in height) at the outset, and Cyrus McGowan and Jimmy Graham should be able to take care of the other big men (none of whom are listed over 6-8 or who play a serious role).  

6-7 junior Brian Asbury, averaging 10 points per game over the past two games, could see serious minutes on the floor against the oversized Buckeye swingmen. This could also mean freshman sensation DeQuan Jones (6-6) will see the floor early as well; Jones is coming off a few decent appearances where his vaunted explosive abilities have been on display.

Will McClinton finally be able to score early and often to help the Canes handle the Buckeye guards?  Will the Canes look down low, where they seem to hold the scoring advantage, as their primary option?  What about James Dews, what’s he going to do with his match-up disadvantage given a very disappointing start to the season?  None of these questions have definitive answers just yet, but there is one conclusion to draw from all of this pre-game hoopla:

Tuesday is going to be one heckuva day for Hurricane basketball. Opportunities on primetime ESPN to help shut people up just don’t occur that often.  The last time one such opportunity arose, the football team blew it against Georgia Tech.  Let’s hope Tuesday goes a little better for the U-Crew.  

They're Sly Like A Fry Guy Stealing My Fries

FINAL SCORE:  UM: 79  STETSON: 65

Julian Gamble adds a free throw (and misses one too) to make that ten Hurricanes with points. Not a dominant performance, but not a bad one either.  Stay tuned for post-game coverage!

 

2:36/2nd Half:  UM: 76  STETSON: 60

McClinton adds two more free throws and has all of his 12 points in the second half.  This one should be over.  Diaz is an ugly 0 for 10 from the field for Stetson after chucking up yet another airball.

3:20/2nd Half:  UM: 74  STETSON: 56

What did you expect?  Obviously Captain Jack hits all three, right?

3:26/2nd Half:  UM: 71  STETSON: 56

McClinton gets fouled shooting a three-pointer and will be at the line for three attempts when the time-out is over.

4:20/2nd Half:  UM: 71  STETSON: 56

When the lead is small/  

and you're strugglin' hard/

who you gonna call?/ 

LANCE HURDLE!  

The point guard hits a three pointer and gets fouled but misses the free throw for the potential four-point play.  Jack McClinton adds a long two-pointer, and the Canes are up 15 again.  

5:45/2nd Half:  UM: 66  STETSON: 54

Kris Thomas hits another three-pointer to cut the lead to 12.  McClinton's only got five points on the night, but luckily frontcourt starters McGowan and Collins have combined for 26 so far tonight.  

7:15/2nd Half:  UM: 66  STETSON: 51

Jimmy Graham misses two free throws, but the Franchise (DqJ) grabs an offensive rebound and dishes it to Jimmy, who makes up for the two misses with a lay-up.  The Hatters have stayed in this one all night, give them credit.  

8:19/2nd Half:  UM: 64  STETSON: 49

Asbury hits two free throws (shooting over 90% on the year from the line) and Collins is subbed out after a monster bucket of his own.  The Haters follow up the little run by the Canes with a three-pointer by Kris Thomas, but McClinton answers with a jumper.    

10:32/2nd Half:  UM: 58  STETSON: 46

Asbury and Blair exchange buckets in each other's faces, but the Hatters hit another three after the exchange and keep the lead at 12.  Just put this one away already!

11:56/2nd Half:  UM: 54  STETSON: 41

Cyrus has gotta start making more free throws - goes 1 of 2 from the line once again, that's thre misses on the day. The inside players are doing decently well for the Canes today - Cyrus has a career high 14, Dwayne has 8, Jimmy's got 6.  Someone's gotta step up and put this game out of Stetson's reach, though.

14:30/2nd Half:  UM: 51  STETSON: 41

I don't like this.  The Canes need to start running away with this one, they're letting the Hatters stay in this one, and with a guy like Blair, the Hatters can easily start on a tear.  Back to back three-pointers for the Hatters.  

15:10/2nd Half:  UM: 47  STETSON: 35

Another time-out on the floor.  Not a bad job by the WVUM commentators today, I'm pretty content with the commentating.  207 games in a row for the Canes with a made three-pointer?  Bet you didn't know that.

15:41/2nd Half:  UM: 46  STETSON: 33

Lance Hurdle darts for an and-one opportunity after a lay-up and will be at the line once the television timeout finishes.  

17:20/2nd Half:  UM: 44  STETSON: 31

Jack hits a three-pointer to finally get on the board, but Blair hit another shot before it to up his total to 19.  Can someone try and stop this guy?

19:45/2nd Half:  UM: 37  STETSON: 27

Blair scores on an easy bucket past Dews, the Canes commit a turnover, and Stetson cuts the lead to 10 with momentum.  Way to come out of the gates strong, guys.  

Halftime Score/Thougts:  UM: 37  STETSON: 25

Cyrus has another 1 for 2 performance from the line, but the Canes end the game pretty slowly and are up double-digits going into the locker room.  

Miami is shooting a whopping 60% from the field against Stetson and are only up 12.  They let Garfield Blair take over the game for the Hatters in the early to middle stages, and his 15 points are carrying Stetson to a game thats a lot closer than it should be, given the percentages.  The Canes are definitely going to need to cut down on turnovers (11).

Is a twelve-point halftime lead a bad thing?  No, not usually, but against a relatively weak team like Stetson, Miami needs to step it up in the second half.  McGowan (9) and Dews (8) are bright spots for the Canes, and so is Eddie Rios (two three-pointers), but what about the second unit - Asbury, Graham, DeQuan?  Two points apiece against Stetson?  Come on guys, let's go.

Jack had a bad first half for the second game in a row but only had two field goal attempts total.  I'm sure he'll have some points by the end of the game.  The Canes need to keep shooting well but cut the the offensive fouls and turnovers.  Yeah, the Canes should pull this one out, but let's hope for a better second half all around.

3:16/1st Half:  UM: 36  STETSON: 23

Sloppy ending to the first half on both sides.  The Canes turn the ball over, the Hatters return the favor with an offensive foul, but Cyrus gives the inbound pass away.  Blair's got 15 points for the Hatters and is the game's leading scorer.  

4:52/1st Half:  UM: 36  STETSON: 20

DeQuan Jones adds his first two points of the game, and the Canes already have eight players with points and none of them have the last name "McClinton".  Pretty impressive wide-range of scoring for the Canes, a repeat performance of the finale against USD where nine players scored in the first half.  

6:12/1st Half:  UM: 34  STETSON: 20

Jack McClinton's off to another slow start (zero points), but James Dews certainly isn't.  Adds another bucket (eight points), and the Canes are now shooting over 70% from the field.  

7:21/1st Half:  UM: 30  STETSON: 16

Dwayne Collins drops a one-handed reverse dunk, Eddie Rios adds two three-pointers on back to back Canes possessions, Asbury hits a bucket, and just like that, the Canes are up by fourteen.  Three-point shooting is on (5 for 7) for the Canes in the early going today!

9:46/1st Half:  UM: 20  STETSON: 16

Blair adds two free throws, and becomes the first player in double figures on either team.    

10:22/1st Half:  UM: 20  STETSON: 14

Garfield Blair is eating the Canes alive on the perimeter.  He's got nine points of his own after adding his second three-pointer on the last Hatter possession.  

11:01/1st Half:  UM: 20  STETSON: 11

James Dews adds his second three-pointer of the day to increase the Canes lead to nine.  Let's hope the Canes junior keeps shooting and hitting, it would be great to head into the week with Dews coming off a big game.  Miami currently on a 9-0 run.  Cyrus has eight points, Dews has six, Collins has four, Hurdle has two.  McClinton's the only starter with zero points.

12:30/1st Half:  UM: 17  STETSON: 11

Cyrus hits one of two from the line but adds a two-handed jam on the next trip down the court.  The Canes stop the Hatters once again and McGowan adds another bucket, this time a three-pointer.  Cyrus the Virus is on fire.

13:54/1st Half:  UM: 11  STETSON: 11

Five team fouls on Miami already and Stetson ties the game with a three-pointer.  The Canes really have to get going here, they don't want the Hatters sticking around for the whole game.

15:36/1st Half:  UM: 11  STETSON: 8

Another offensive foul after the TV Timeout, this time on Brian Asbury.  

15:53/1st Half:  UM: 11  STETSON: 8

James Dews answers a Garfield three-pointer with one of his own.  Love to see that out of the junior, hopefully he can get this next week started with a huge game this afternoon.  Canes have a couple offensive fouls early on. 

17:53/1st Half:  UM: 8  STETSON: 5

Lance Hurdle hits both his free throws after another Dwayne Collins jumper on the previous possession and the Canes up their lead to three.

19:01/1st Half:  UM: 4  STETSON: 2

Game's a post match-up so far as all six points have been scored by the big men - Cyrus has a bucket and Dwayne has two made free throws.  Continued impressive free throw shooting for the big man.

3:28 PM: Lance Hurdle gets the start at point guard for the Hurricanes over Eddie Rios after a great Paradise Jam tournament.  I expect Hurdle starting to remain the status quo for the remainder of the season.  James Dews is starting today, along with Jack McClinton, Dwayne Collins and Cyrus McGowan.

3:10 PM: It looks like its officially basketball season now. Jacory throws a pick that pretty much ends the last game of the season against N.C. State.  Off to the Sears Toilet Bowl for the Hurricane Football Team, who wrap up the year at 7-5.  

2:53 PM:  The Canes take on an upstart Stetson Hatters squad today with tip-off scheduled for 3:30 PM.  A week ago, the Hatters barely lost to Florida State (79-77), a team projected to finish in the top half of the ACC.  They lost by 30 to #8 Texas in their very first game (68-38), but are currently 2-2 on the season.

This isn't a throwaway game for the Canes.  Stetson returns most of their top scorers from 2007-2008 when they went 16-16, including seniors Garfield Blair (16.1 PPG) and Kris Thomas (7.4 PPG), as well as junior A.J. Smith (11.4 PPG).  It will once again be interesting to see how Frank Haith divides his minutes before a huge upcoming week with matches against Ohio State and Kentucky.

Will Coach Haith try and give Dews another opportunity to find himself against weaker competition?  Will he keep his frontcourt on a constant rotation of Dwayne, Cyrus and Jimmy?  What about freshman DeQuan Jones - what role will he play?  The Canes should win this game without very much difficulty, but that's not what you should be looking at; let's see how Haith manages this one.

People Never Get The Flowers While They Can Still Smell Em

The plane finally lands in the airport, the car finally arrives in the driveway, and you grab your bags and finally walk up those back stairs. Greeted by the friendly faces and wonderful aromas emanating from the 'place you call home', you begin to sense it.  After all that anticipation, you're finally back, and so is that special feeling of warmth that permeates every household this time of year.  It sounds cheesy, sure, but it's all true.

Alone amongst all the rest, however, one house on Old Cutler Road in Palmetto Bay, FL won't be sharing its Thanksgiving with anyone.  Dreary and desolate, this house won't be filled with laughs over bottles of wine or smiles over slices of pie.  Even with a beautiful exterior and lush inside, this home is different.  It will always be different.  It would like to be the same as any other on Old Cutler Road, but it just can't be.

It has become a symbol of tragedy.

A year ago today, a man's life was taken after something that happened in that very home only a day earlier.  No details about what transpired in Palmetto Bay that night are needed.  Our feelings towards those responsible for his death should not resemble any burning vengeance.  According to all who knew Sean Taylor, vengeance was not his style.

"He got the bad rap," said Buck Ortega (in an interview with the Miami Herald), former teammate of Taylor with both the Hurricanes and Redskins.  "That was not Sean.  I saw how much he cared about the people he loved."

It all started when Taylor transferred to Gulliver Preparatory School in Pinecrest, FL.  He starred on offense and defense at Gulliver, rushing for 44 touchdowns (a state record) his senior season en route to a Florida 2A State Championship.  He had over 100 tackles for the Raiders on defense, and ended the season ranked as the #1 prospect in Miami-Dade County.  

Perhaps more important than any of his accolades earned there, Gulliver Prep was the place where he fell in love with a young woman named Jackie Garcia, of Key Biscayne.

After an immensely successful high school career, Taylor committed to the University of Miami.  As a freshman, Taylor played a key role in the team's 2001 championship run.  He was a star at the U by his sophomore year, when he was named a second-team All Big-East selection after finishing third on the team in tackles (85) and recording four interceptions.    

At the end of his junior year...well, Taylor might have been the best player in all the land.  He was named Big East Defensive Player of the Year and first-team All-American, earned a reputation in the process as the fiercest hitter in the country.  He led the Big East with 11 interceptions and 77 tackles his junior season, and he declared himself for the NFL Draft.  

Taylor was one of six Hurricane players drafted in the first round that year, selected fifth overall by the Washington Redskins.

During his time in the NFL (about 3 1/2 years), Taylor racked up totals of 299 tackles, eight forced fumbles, and 12 interceptions.  Sports Illustrated declared Taylor the hardest hitting player in the NFL prior to the 2007 season, when he was also named posthumously to his second Pro Bowl.  

He was a player coming into his own, and he began to take the game more seriously.  He was quoted in a pre-2007 season interview as saying, "...you play a kid's game for king's ransom.  And if you don't take it serious enough, eventually one day you're going to say, "Oh I could have done this or I could have done that."  He was making an effort to change his reputation, one that was marred by a few unfortunate instances that had unfairly labeled him as another typical "Miami thug."  

That thug was now engaged to Garcia and had his very own 18-month-old daughter at the time, also named Jackie.  It is said that Taylor loved nothing more than reading to Jackie at night.  He cared about his family and friends, and, not surprisingly, his memorial service at Florida International University drew over 4,000 people, including past teammates and Miami alumni.  

Watching NFL legends like LaVar Arrington and Clinton Portis cry as they spoke at his service drew many viewers to tears as well.  Taylor meant something.  Taylor was special.  Taylor was different.  If you were at the candlelight vigil service at the University of Miami on December 2nd, 2007, you couldn't help but feel part of his beauty as you listened to the tear-jerking words of his fiancee.  

The NFL paid tribute to Taylor with #21 decals placed on helmets of all teams after his death for the remainder of the season.  You can pay tribute to Taylor, too.  Enjoy your Thanksgiving dinner with your family and friends. Try to smile and remind your mother and father, brother and sister how much you love them as often as you can.  It's an opportunity that has bypassed men like Sean Taylor, and it's an opportunity that too many, myself included, take for granted on a daily basis. 

Happy Thanksgiving to everyone, and to Sean: Rest In Peace.  We miss you.